Improvement in fruit-boxes



' @uiten taten @anni @frn JOHN F. WHITNEY AND OLIVER B. WHITNEY, OF MILTON, NEW YORK.

Letters Patent lilo. 68,401, dated Sqltcmbcr "3, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN FRUIT-BOXES.

dlgs Stlgthul nfemt in in tljist titers nttnt mit making peut nt tige stmt.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONOERN:

Beit known that we, Jenn F. WHITNEY and OLIvEn B. WHITNEY, both of Milton, inv'thc county of Ulster,

and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fruit-Boxes; and we do hereby declare that lthe following is a full, clear, and cX-act description of thc same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a portion' of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View of a fruit-box construct-ed according to my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same..

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both gures. v

It is desirable that boxes employed for the transportation of grapes should be capable of being filled from that side opposite the one opened to display the fruit, it being found in practice that the grapes may by this means be arranged in the boxes so as toappear to much bet-ter advantage, when the latter are opened, than if placed in boxes of ordinary construction.

The object of this invention is to provide a cheap andconvenient box, having this characteristic, and adapted, not only to the packing or transportation of grapes, butI also to that of other fruits of a like fragile or perishable nature, and it consists in a box having its upper and lower sides hinged and made movable, in such manner that one or the other may be very readily opened to permit the box tobe illed, or the contents thereof displayed, as the case may be, the desired object being thereby ecctually secured. l

To enable others to understand the nature and construction of my invention, I will proceed to describe it withV reference kto the drawings. i

The box .is of rectangular form, and is made of thin boards, of any suitable variety of wood. The end pieces thereof, marked respectively a and Z, are secured by nails, or other suitable means, to the lateral pieces c, and the other side or top d of the'box is formed in one with the end piece a, the piece of board of which such end piece andupper side are formed being transversely cut, or sawed nearly through from the outside at the top of such end piece, as shown at a', in .such manner that the undivided bres left by such partial 'cutting across of the aforesaid board will constitute a flexible connection or hinge, upon which the aforesaid upper side may be swung in closing or uncovering the box, asthe case may be; the said upper side being furthermore preferably furnished. at vits ,free or Aouter end with a lap, e, connected thereto by a hinge, a, formed in the same manner as that uniting the upper side d to the end piece a,and designed to lap over the opposite end piece b, as represented in the drawings'. The lower side or bottomf is formed in one with the end piece'b, andunited thereto by a flexible joint or hinge, b', formed in the same way as that of the hereinbefore-described upper side d and end piece a, and furnished in like manner with a hinged ap, g, designed to lap over the adjacent end of the box, in the same manner as the corresponding flap e of the. top d. y

The upper side of the box being thrown open the grapes are placed 'in the box, the weight of the berries tending to cause them to drop below their stems, and rest upon the bottom 0r lower side of the box. The box being filled the upper side d is tacked down, and a cord or string is passedaround tllepbox, in such manner as to confine the lower side f in place thereon, which being done the box is ready for transportation.

In opening the box it is inverted, and the binding cord being removed the side f is opened, thus exposing the grapes, the stems of which, by the inversion of the box, are brought underneath the berries, and thus conA cealed from sight, the grapes being by this means displayed to the greatest advantage.

Furthermore, the box, from its simplicity of construction, may not only be very conveniently manipulated in filling, opening, or emptying the box, but may also be manufactured at an extremely moderate cost.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The box constructed with the hinged movable upper and lower sides d f, substantially asi'and for the purpose specified.

J. F. WHITNEY, O.l B. WHITNEY.

Witnesses:

JAMES H. Canon, MICHAEL MURRAY. 

